Allen West gets challenges from both sides in re-election fight

Rep. Allen West may have switched districts, but his re-election to Congress is far from assured. According to the Huffington Post, the Tea Party favorite is getting spirited challenges from both the Left and the Right:

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) hasn’t been a candidate in Florida’s 18th Congressional District for long, but already there are a number of people prepared to complicate his road to reelection.

On Tuesday, Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder, a Republican, announced that he decided to challenge West following the congressman’s decision to switch to the more GOP-friendly district from the 22nd, which he currently represents.

West’s move had a lot to do with Crowder’s decision to jump into the race.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Crowder explained that he’s running “to provide some local representation for a new district — rather than having someone who’s not really familiar with the district coming in and purporting to represent the people here. I just think the people need to have that option. If they choose to elect an outsider, that’s their choice.”